Tilapia is one of the most widely eaten white fish, prized for its mild flavor, quick cooking time, and low cost. A single slice can be a thin cutlet, a thick center-cut fillet, or a portion from a family-sized tray, so weight matters far more than piece size. This calculator converts your tilapia portion into calories, protein, fat, and carbs using standard USDA reference values for raw and cooked tilapia.
Enter the slice weight in grams, ounces, or pounds, choose raw or baked/broiled, and add any butter or oil used per portion. Results include a per-slice breakdown, a macro grid, and totals for multiple fillets.
It is designed for meal prep, macro tracking, and building high-protein, low-calorie meals at home.
Tilapia Calories Per Slice Calculator
Find calories and macros in one tilapia slice, fillet, or portion — raw or cooked.
Step-by-Step Guide
Use this calculator whenever you are portioning tilapia for a meal-prep container, a low-calorie dinner, or a high-protein lunch. The most accurate approach starts with a kitchen scale and a quick look at the package label.
- Weigh one slice of tilapia in grams or ounces. If you are weighing a package with several fillets, divide the total weight by the number of fillets and enter that number as the per-slice weight.
- Choose the cooking state: raw fillet or cooked by dry heat such as baking, broiling, or grilling without added fat.
- Select the added fat used per slice. A teaspoon of olive oil or butter can add 34–40 kcal, while lemon and herbs add almost nothing.
- Enter how many slices or fillets you plan to eat so you get both per-slice and total values.
- Press Calculate and read the calorie, protein, fat, and carb breakdown.
How the Numbers Are Calculated
The calculator is built on macronutrient reference values for tilapia from USDA FoodData Central. USDA lists about 96 kcal per 100 g of raw tilapia and 128 kcal per 100 g of cooked dry-heat tilapia. The same portion contains about 20.1 g protein and 1.7 g fat when raw, and about 26.2 g protein and 2.7 g fat when cooked. Tilapia is essentially carbohydrate-free.
The formula is straightforward:
calories per slice = (slice weight in grams × calories per 100 g ÷ 100) + added-fat calories
Protein, fat, and carbs are scaled the same way. The calculator converts ounces to grams using 1 oz = 28.35 g and pounds using 1 lb = 453.6 g, so the weight unit does not affect the accuracy of the result.
| Form | kcal / 100 g | Protein / 100 g | Fat / 100 g | Carbs |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Raw tilapia | 96 | 20.1 g | 1.7 g | 0 g |
| Cooked, dry heat | 128 | 26.2 g | 2.7 g | 0 g |
| 1 tsp olive oil | 40 | 0 g | 4.5 g | 0 g |
| 1 tsp butter | 34 | 0 g | 3.8 g | 0 g |
Worked Example
You buy a 6 oz tilapia fillet, bake it with a squeeze of lemon and a teaspoon of olive oil, and eat 2 fillets.
Step 1: 6 oz × 28.35 = 170 g.
Step 2: cooked tilapia = 128 kcal/100 g, so 170 g gives 170 × 128 ÷ 100 = 217.6 kcal from fish.
Step 3: add 1 tsp olive oil = 40 kcal, making one slice 257.6 kcal.
Step 4: two fillets = 515 kcal, about 89 g protein, 14.3 g fat, and 0 g carbs.
Tilapia vs. Other Lean Proteins
Tilapia is one of the lowest-calorie animal proteins you can cook in under ten minutes. To keep it in perspective, compare its numbers with other popular lean choices per 100 g raw:
| Protein source | kcal | Protein | Fat |
|---|---|---|---|
| Tilapia, raw | 96 | 20.1 g | 1.7 g |
| Chicken breast, raw, skinless | 120 | 22.5 g | 2.6 g |
| Salmon, raw | 142 | 19.8 g | 6.3 g |
| Egg, whole, raw | 143 | 12.6 g | 9.5 g |
For more protein-focused portion math, try the chicken calorie calculator or the egg calorie calculator.
Tips for Accurate Tracking
- Weigh raw fillets before cooking whenever possible. Moisture loss during cooking concentrates nutrients, which is why cooked tilapia shows higher values per 100 g — it is the same fish, not more calories.
- Account for every bit of oil or butter used in the pan. A teaspoon of oil adds about 40 kcal and 4.5 g fat; a tablespoon adds about 120 kcal, roughly doubling a small tilapia serving.
- If the fillet has skin, include it in the weight. Tilapia skin is edible and adds a little fat, but the difference is small for most tracking purposes.
- Use frozen fillets by their thawed weight. The package net weight usually includes glaze or ice, so weigh after thawing and draining.
- For recipes with several portions, weigh the whole cooked dish, divide by servings, and enter that weight.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is a tilapia slice the same as a fillet? In practice, yes. Most tilapia is sold as skinless fillets, and a single fillet is the natural slice or portion unit. This calculator lets you enter any slice weight, so it also works for cutlets, medallions, or strips.
Why does cooked tilapia have more calories per 100 g than raw? The calorie count per fillet is similar, but cooked fish loses water weight, so a 100 g cooked portion contains more actual fish solids than 100 g raw. That explains the higher kcal and protein figures per 100 g.
Are frozen tilapia calories different from fresh? No. Freezing and thawing do not change calories or macros as long as no glaze, breading, or marinade is added. Check the ingredient label for added sodium phosphates or flavored coatings, which can change the math slightly.
Should I count tilapia carbs? Plain tilapia contains zero carbohydrate. If you are tracking net carbs, you only need to count breading, flour dusting, or sweetened marinades.
For the most detailed nutrient breakdowns, search for tilapia in the USDA FoodData Central database.